According to the warden, Louisiana's juvenile prison at Tallulah is a safe
facility where all teenage inmates are well-protected. Hyam F. Guyton Jr.,
Tallulah’s warden since 2001, told a court hearing that he is a father
figure and problem solver who works to rehabilitate inmates and help those
whose families have broken down. He says no juvenile has ever told him he
feels unsafe.

By contrast, two inmates who served time at the facility testified earlier
that guards supplied prisoners with cigarettes, drugs and sex, and routinely
instigated fist fights that left teens with broken jaws, noses and teeth.

The hearing is being held before Juvenile Court Judge Mark Doherty, who already
has said conditions there are unconstitutional and has ordered five inmates
removed because rampant violence put their lives at risk. The hearing was
called because the state, which has consistently denied allegations of violence,
appealed Doherty's order.

Perhaps the most credible party in the ongoing controversy is the Juvenile
Justice Commission. That body contends the entire juvenile justice system
is underfunded, lacks effective treatment options, and puts children guilty
of property crimes or minor drug offenses in the company of those who are
violent and dangerous.

The commission may also have the most credible solution. It recommends taking
kids away from the prison department and out of prisons that harden without
reforming. Another recommendation is that the state finally shift its focus
from punishment to prevention.

This may be the only way that Louisiana will solve the problems at juvenile
prisons.